Process of and apparatus for burning powdered fuel



Sept. 18,1923, esms c. w. DYSQN PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR BURNINGPOWDERED FUEL Filed Nov. 18; 1922 i (Claw. Wflyson a t 1mm my PatentedSept. 18, 1923.

Wen em CHARLES-W. DYSON, OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR BURNING POWDERED FUEL.

Application filed November 18, 1922. Serial No. 601,844.

To aZZ whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, CHARLES W. DYsoN,United States Navy, a citizen of the United States, at present residingat Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Processes of and Apparatus for BurningPowdered Fuel; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to a process of and an apparatus for burningpowdered carbonaceous fuel, and has for its object to improve theprocedures and devices of this nature which have been heretoforeproposed.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novelprocedure constituting the process and in the novel parts andcombinations of parts constituting the apparatus, all as will be morefully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings forming a part of thisspecification, in which like numerals designate like parts in all theviews:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view of an apparatus made inaccordance with this invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of a means for rotating the air admittedto the furnace, said means being shown as removed from the air conduit;

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing an air conduit supplying aplurality of air rotating devices;

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view taken on the line A-B of Figure 1,showing the rotating cone of mixed carbon and oil.

In order that this invention may be the better understood, it is said Itis well known that many prior devices have proposed the burning offinely divided carbon in furnaces, both with and without the admixtureof oil therewith, but in all such procedures in so far as I am awarevarious objections have been met with, some of which were so serious inpractice as to prevent an extended commercial use'of this class ofapparatus. Among the more serious objections was the lack of such auniform and intimate mixture of carbon particles and air as would insurea smooth and uniform combustion in the furnace chamber. This objectionwas also enhanced by the fact that the inlets to the combustion chamberwere not completely closed by the cone of carbon particles, thusadmitting air in varying quantities to the flame and producingunsatisfactory results. In carrying out this invention, on the otherhand, I overcome these objections, as well as others, not necessary tomention, all as will now be disclosed.

Referring more especially to Figures 1 and 2, 1 indicates any suitablesupply of fuel carried by a hopper 2, feeding any suitable grinding orcomminuting apparatus 3, from which leads the delivery spout or conduit4. 6 indicates the combustion chamber of a furnace havin a front wall 7provided with a fuel inlet suitably lined as by the member 8, to whichmay be joined in any suitable manner the member 9, supporting the airrotating means 10. Said means 10 is surrounded by the conduit 11carrying air under pressure, conveniently supplied by a blower 5. InFigures 1 and 2 a pipe 12 adapted to convey oil passes through thecentral portion of the-rotator 10, and is provided on its furnace endl5with a cone 13 so proportioned and positioned that an extension of thesame would fill the furnace fuel inlet 17 as indicated by the lines 14.Said end 15 of the pipe 12 is also provided with any suitable and wellknown device not shown capable of atomizing or finely dividing the oilunder pressure in pipe 12, and delivering it along the inner walls ofthe cone 13, in the form of a relatively thin rapidly rotating hollowcone, all as will be readily understood. This rapidly rotating hollowcone of oil expands as it leaves the cone 13, and passes through thefuel inlet as at 17 into the furnace when its rotating particles 16separate and greatly thicken the walls of said oil cone, all as will beclear from Figures 1 and 5.

The air under pressure in the conduit 11 passes through the openings 18in the face of the stationary rotator 10 and over the inclined blades19. Said air also passes through the openings 20 in the rim of saidrotator and over the inclined blades 21. The result is said air as itenters the chamber 22 from said rotator 10 is in rapid rotation due toits momentum, and the action of said inclined blades 19 and 21. Thedirection of rotation of said air is preferably made the same as that ofthe oil particles 16. The finely divided carbon particles 23 fed intosaid chamber 22 by the feed chute or conduit 4 are rotated around theaxis of said chamber by said air, and the pressure of the latter carriessaid particles 23 through said exit 17 into the furnace chamber 6 in theform of a whirling, rotating hollow cone, all as will be clear from thedrawings.

It will thus be seen that the hollow whirling or rotating cone of finelydivided carbon and the rapidly whirling or rotating cone 16 of atomizedor finely divided oil become most thoroughly mixed. They both have topass through the restricted exit 17 and they both are subjected to therotating or whirling action of the air in the chamber 22 and as saidcones of necessity have to expand as indicated, upon entering thefurnace chamber 6, the particles in each cone separate from each otherand thus apportion, so to speak, the air between themselves. The resultis an unusually uniform mixture of air and fuel, whether it be oil aloneor carbon alone or a mixture of oil and carbon. Now, the cones of finelydivided carbon and of finely divided oil completely fill up the fuelinlet 17 to the'furnace, so that no varying quantities of air areadmitted to the furnace as is thecase in the prior devices, but onlysuch air as forms and accompanies said cones. Due to this fact, it isonly necessary for the operator to regulate the pressure of his oil andof his air until a satisfactory combustion is produced, whereupon thedesired combustion is maintained in a manner much more satisfactory andover much longer periods of time without attention than has beenpossible heretofore.

The admission of air through the rotator 10 can be regulated inanysuitable and well known manner. For example, the inclined surfaces 19and 21 can be conveniently fixed in the frame work while the outermember 26 may rotate and thus open or close the openings 18, all in amanner as is customarily done in what is known as air registers.

In the same way, pressure of the oil inthe pipe 12 may be regulatedthrough the usual cocks not shown that accompany oil burners of thisnature.

In the somewhat modified form of the invention illustrated in Figure 3,a plurality of rotators 10 is provided, and the conduit 11 is extendedso as to serve all of said rot-ators. The furnace chamber 6 isassociatedwith water tubular boilers, as' will be readily understood.

It will now be clear that by proceeding in the manner above disclosed,one is enabled to provide a considerable volume of powdered fuel and airin the form of a rotating hollow expanding cone which fills the fueinlet to the furnace, and which provides a uniform distribution of airto the fuel particles. One is further enabled to cause this said cone ofpowdered fuel to intermingle with the rotating hollow cone of finelydivided oil which likewise fills the fuel inlet of the furnace andprovides auniform distribution of air among its particles. It willfurther be clear that by thus operating, a more uniform .and evencombustion is had than in those cases where such even distribution offuel and air is not had.

It is obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details ofconstruction as well as the arrangement and operation of the Ypart swithout departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it isnot desired to be limited to the above disclosure except as may berequired by the'claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The process of burning powdered fuel in a furnace chamber whichconsists in intimately mixing said fuel with air while in rotation;forming the rotating mixture into a hollow cone of a diameter sufiicientto fill the fuel inlet to the furnace chamber, when.

it enters the latter; causing said cone to admix with a hollow cone offinely divided liquid fuel; and passing both cones into said chamber forignition, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus for burning powdered fuel, the combination of asource of supply of said fuel; a chamber into which said supplydelivers; a source of air under pressure; means for imparting to saidair a rotary motion and delivering it to said chamber to mix with and torotate said fuel; a fuel inlet leading into a combustion chamber fromsaid first named chamber; means to supply a, cone of liquid fuel to saidcombustion chamber; and means adapted to cause said rotating air andfuel to assume the form of an' expanding cone adapted to enter saidcombustion chamber through said inlet, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus for burning powdered fuel, the combination of achamber; means for supplying finely divided carbon to said chamber;means for supplying air in rapid rotation to said chamber and carbon, toform an intimate rotating mixture; a cone shaped means to convert saidrotating mixture into a hollow cone; a combustion chamber; an

'exit to said combustion chamber from said first named chamber throughwhich said cone passes; and means to supply a hollow cone of finelydivided liquid fuel to be admixed with said first named cone.substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature,

CHARLES DYSON.

